Anthony F.M. Clavier

Sermons and Bible Studies
Have You Ever Bought…, Day of Pentecost (B) – 2006
Have you ever bought something that needed to be assembled? After struggling to get the huge package into the house, and further struggling to open the wretched thing, the instructions are tucked right at the bottom. The instruction booklet is in a number of languages, the English translation — for that is obviously what it […]
Taste Is a Very Odd Thing…, Lent 4 (B) – 2006
Taste is a very odd thing. Goodness knows where it comes from. It can be something handed down in a family, not without rebellion. It can be cultural or societal. Then we have the issue of whether something is in good taste or not. Episcopalians are sometimes accused of being more interested in taste than […]
What’s in a Name?, Holy Name Day – 2006
The celebration of New Yearâs Day tends to be a feast of exhaustion, particularly if one stayed up to see the new year in. After the Reformation in Scotland, the old church feasts were abolished. As is often the case, if people are deprived of things to which they are deeply attached, they find other […]
There Are Some Who Love…, Proper 8 (A) – 2005
There are some who love having people over to dinner or a summer barbeque. They get a kick out of opening their homes and showing off their possessions or their cooking skills. They may even rejoice in having a captive audience upon which to inflict their latest jokes or the story of last yearâs vacation. […]
Give Me A Simple Religion…, Trinity Sunday (A) – 2005
âGive me a simple religion,â we sometimes yearn. Itâs an odd prayer. If someone calls us âsimpleâ we are very offended. Certainly there can be nothing simple about God. It would be very odd indeed if complicated humans and a complicated God met together in a âsimple faith.â In a few minutes we will say […]
Abandonment…, Easter Day (A) – 2005
Abandonment is one of the greatest losses a human may experience. True, there are other losses that can scar us. Coming home to find weâve been robbed produces a feeling of violation, particularly if the robbery includes the loss of objects we associate with our past. And we all know children whose lives were dreadfully […]
Come See the Place Where He Lay, Great Vigil of Easter (A) – 2005
There are places where time seems to disappear. Travelers know all about that feeling. It is a feeling. A âplaceâ may be many things. Finding an old family Bible in the attic, opening it to a page where births, marriages, and deaths are recorded. You recognize the name of a great-grandmother whom you didnât know, […]
During the Recent Commemoration…, Ash Wednesday – 2005
During the recent commemoration of the liberation of the concentration camp at Auschwitz, in Poland, in a moment of almost eerie silence, a rabbi sounded the ramâs horn, the ancient âtrumpetâ of Israel. Sixty years after the Nazis were driven from that dreadful place, survivors mingled with world leaders to pay homage to the dead, […]
Someone Has Described…, All Saints’ Day (C) – 2004
Someone has described a saint as an ordinary Christian who does ordinary things extraordinarily well. Thatâs certainly not the New Testament definition, although itâs not a bad start. If you look at the two New Testament lessons appointed for today, the one used for Service 1 gives a vision of heaven, filled with people wearing […]
As We Get Closer…, Proper 19 (C) – 2004
As we get closer to the general election, it is more and more common to hear someone suggesting that because Candidate X once thought this, and now says that, he or she isnât being honest! Changing oneâs mind may be thought to be a sign of insincerity or weakness. Imagine God changing Godâs mind! The […]
One Can Imagine…, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2004
One can imagine the followers of Jesus huddled in the Upper Room holding endless discussions. It must have been rather like one of those vestry meetings where the members have been challenged to do the impossible and havenât yet plucked up the courage to say that the proposal is impossible. Jesus had told them to […]
Most of Us Try and Steer…, Palm Sunday (C) – 2004
Most of us try and steer clear of violent emotional swings. Elation is wonderful as long as it isnât shattered by the cold slap in the face of disaster. Driving along a mountain road, taking in the scenery, alive with a sense of joy and wonder is one thing, but to be hit head on […]
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